Sen Grace Poe visits Singapore as Lee Kuan Yew Fellow

This is a press release from the Office of Senator Grace Poe:

MANILA, Philippines – Amid persistent talks on the alleged pairings for the 2016 elections which Senator Grace Poe continues to brush aside, the lady senator expressed elation on her being chosen as the 3^rd Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow (LKYEF) from the Philippines and 46^th from the world since the program started.

“I deeply value the immersion and exchanges this important program guaranteed toward sustaining Philippine efforts to fortify transparent governance and extinguish corruption,” said Poe, who attended the 9-day LKYEF program in Singapore.

Poe and earlier fellows were chosen by the LKYEF program based on their track record and extraordinary potential to contribute to the development of their nations. The program chooses only two individuals from all over the world every year.  

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomed Poe during her courtesy call at the Istana.  He recognized the growth of the Philippines under the Aquino administration.

The senator also met with Foreign Affairs and Law Minister Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam, who discussed Singapore’s efforts to become a neutral third party venue for international commercial dispute resolution, backed by competent governance.

Meanwhile, Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau Director Wong Hong Kuan updated Poe on Singapore’s anti-corruption efforts, the country being one of the least corrupt in the world. Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau also briefed the senator on measures undertaken by the government to substantially minimize dangerous drug problems. Singapore’s anti-drug program is not simply geared toward punitive approaches but also on rehabilitation and partnership with families and non-governmental organizations to address the challenge. 

Poe also visited Guangyang Primary School in the capital where she was welcomed by school children, including Filipinos. The Singaporean government subsidizes education, giving full scholarships to deserving poor students as well as free meals in schools. Poe has been pushing for the institutionalization of a free lunch program for children in public schools to prepare and empower the country’s human resource assets in pursuit of inclusive growth.

During her visit to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College (equivalent to the Philippines’ Technical Education and Skills Development Authority), officials discussed the school’s programs, particularly the “vertical transportation” courses in support of industry needs. ITE currently has 101 courses in 11 sectors.

The senator acknowledged the Singaporean government led by Prime Minister Lee, the LKYEF chair Eddie Teo, and Ambassador to the Philippines VP “Bala” Hirubalan for the fellowship. – Rappler.com